Getting to Know: Sketchdoll

Prepare to dive into the eclectic world of Sketchdoll, a UK-based alternative rock band that defies categorisation. Blending everything from funk and jazz fusion to progressive rock and indie pop, Sketchdoll creates a soundscape that's as diverse as it is captivating. With their debut album See Through Me already making waves and a follow-up album Afterwildlife set for release later this year, Sketchdoll is proving that their unconventional style is a refreshing force in the indie music scene.

1. Sketchdoll's music is described as pulling from a wide range of genres including funk, jazz fusion, and progressive rock. How do you blend these diverse influences to create your unique sound?

To be honest, it happened quite naturally. We never aimed at any particular genre/genres, but it’s more somewhere we arrived at. I’ve always been into jazzy chords, and generally favoured them over standard major and minor chords as I feel they’re richer and more expressive. I’m naturally percussive and rhythmic with my playing too, so when Dom and I write, we can wrap around each other quite nicely. Dom’s very creative and intricate with his drumming, and we both naturally favour songs that expand past the verse/chorus format, so that’s what we keep at the front of our writing process.

2. Your debut album 'See Through Me' features nine original tracks. Can you share the creative process behind this album and how it reflects the band's musical evolution?

The debut album was recorded in lots of smaller sessions in Dover, and we evolved a lot over that time. It was originally going to just be an EP, but we kept writing new material and then wanting that new stuff to feature on the project. For example, when we did the earliest of those sessions which reared the song ‘Vice’, some other songs like ‘R&R’ hadn’t been written yet. So, it evolved into an album as we were developing the sound, and the process was very bottom-up, working things out on the way. I think there’s a good amount of variety on it that showcases our influences, and our ability to demonstrate them in our style.

3.  With your follow-up album 'Afterwildlife' set for release later this year, what can fans expect in terms of new directions or themes compared to 'See Through Me'?

The new album, ‘Afterwildlife’, has more tracks and a grittier sound than ‘See Through Me’. With the debut, we wanted a cleaner sound as we were still finding our feet a bit and wanted a slicker aesthetic. With this one, we leaned more into the rock vibe that songs like Hypothermia and Attitude (another track from the upcoming album) had. We recorded it all up in Manchester in longer sessions. After the debut recording process, we had a more established method of how to record our material and had more room to play around with things more.Like with the debut, a lot of the songs are distinct and wear their directions on their sleeve, but there is more variety in sound than with the debut. We have some straight up rock, americana, jazz fusion, progressive rock, indie pop, blues, and spoken word thrown into the mix.

4. Songs like 'Hypothermia' and 'Sierra Echoes' have been praised for their distinct musical qualities. Can you discuss the inspiration and story behind one of these tracks and what you aimed to convey through it?

‘Hypothermia’ was in the works when we were finishing up the tracks for our debut, so it’s been around longer than some of the other tracks on the album. It began with Dom’s drum beat that you hear on the intro, and what I like about it is that as a guitarist, I could fit around his drums with a simple chord progression, just riffing around it. Naturally, I make more complicated progressions when I’m writing them on a guitar on my own, so it’s refreshing to play something less so as the intricacy lies in the rhythm section. The song always had this energy about it as soon as we started working on it, and I think Bernardo’s bass playing especially in the verses gives it a lot of body.‘Sierra Echoes’ began in 2021 when we were in lockdown and unable to get into the studio. Dom sent me a drum beat he worked on, which was very different to the country/americana vibe it has now, and I was working around that until I randomly came up with the finger picking that you hear in the verses, which was very different. That then became the new starting point to work towards the finished product you hear now. We were going for a Spaghetti Western vibe with the production, our second stab at it after ‘Theme’ from our debut album, and I wanted to keep the lyrics somewhat elusive, being more holistic and nature focused. The story is essentially a love triangle where the protagonist pines after someone who is emotionally unavailable.

5. The track 'The Early Bird' has been highlighted for its elegant, minimalist composition. How do you approach songwriting and composition to balance complexity with simplicity in your music?

‘The Early Bird’ is a good example for this question. The song is in 5/4, which isn’t your usual time signature for a song aimed at a broad audience. The trick is to balance out the more complex elements with simpler ones, so that song has a very simple structure: Intro, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Outro. It also has a very simple production, only the guitar carrying the rhythm, so the intricacy is subtle.Of course, not all our complex material is as stripped down as that song. When full bands are playing, it's good for other musicians to make space while others are playing more busy parts, and when it comes to writing, maintaining conventional song structures, and incorporating hooks helps to keep it appealing.